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"God
has done amazing things in my life.
From
a happy, but Godless and fatherless childhood, a
boarding school education gave me greater independence
than I had maturity, and as a teenager experimenting
with drink and drugs, my life took a downward turn when
I moved to Scandinavia to seek out the good life….
I
returned worse than I had departed, but somehow managed
to get my thoughts into my future, and moved to
Winchester to begin a degree.
Four
years later I graduated - don’t ask me how, as most of
the four years had been spent taking a variety of drugs,
playing in bands, and doing everything other than work.
To
my disgust, some of my close friends came in one day
stating that they had ‘become Christians’ , and a
whole series of events, including meeting Jo, my wife
forced me to examine my own situation. As I sceptically
began to ask, seek, and knock, I began to know that God
was there with his hand on the handle of the door, but
that my own pride and stubbornness was stopping the door
from opening.
Following
one of Colin Dye’s sermons at Kensington Temple, I
responded to an appeal, and seriously wanted to know the
power of Jesus in my life. I found it devastating when I
left the building still on my own. I wasn’t prepared
to admit that occult practices I had been involved in
were wrong. God wanted me to start over again, but
foolish pride made me hang on to things that even I knew
were wrong.
I
sat on the tube home, Jo three places down the carriage,
discouraged, both of us. Then God spoke, for the first
time, just a gentle nudge, ‘why do you hang on to
these things, don’t you know that I know you better
than you do?’
In
a moment I gave it all up to Him
I
didn’t want anything to come between us anymore.
I
felt Him
I
looked around the train carriage, and I felt that I
could see right through the passengers eyes, their souls
were empty, I knew, and as I looked at Jo she looked
complete, radiant, beautiful, and God gave me the most
wonderful confirmation that I appeared the same, and His
presence was within me. Despite my best efforts God had
dragged me kicking and screaming into his plans.
As
I have learned to trust Him more and more with every
area of my life, he has been true to His word every
time. He has truly set me free to live an abundant life,
full of joy, fun, a wonderful family, and a church that
models Christ’s love and teaching. I count it an
honour to be part of God’s growing family, and my
heart longs to see God’s Kingdom grow both in me and
through me.
The
last ten tears with God have been more that I could have
dreamed of, the next ten are in hand, His hand, and
I’m so excited.
Chris
Kilby
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